To Try, or To Give Up
by musicae
Summary: "How's that working out for you?" I ask him, smirking. "Well, every time I think I'm rid of you, you find some way to wriggle your way back," he responds, frowning. "Maybe you should just give up," I suggest. He shakes his head. "Never."
1. I Escape The Underworld

I sit there. Just sit there. Staring at the door. The damned, stone, cold wall. The wall that just. Won't. Budge. No matter how much I push. Pull. Or bang on it. No matter how much I yank on the handle, or scream for someone to help. I am stuck in this room. It's too dark, too cold, and my breathing is heavy. I am panicking, again. I pull up my legs, and rest my forehead on my knees,, and try to forget I don't know where I am. Or what I'm doing.

It doesn't work. Thinking of all the things I want to forget. It's a stupid idea, because I am just relaying them in my head. I blink and compose myself. Who ever put me here is not going to get the satisfaction of making me panic. The black spots in my vision slowly disappear, and my breathing evens out again. I glance around, I can the outline of a chair in the corner. And there's a table, with a book on it.

I get up and walk to the table. It seems to take forever to cross to the other side of the room, but I eventually reach it. I slowly pick up the book, and my eyes strain to read the letters on the front, but it's no use. It's too dark.

Then the lights suddenly come on. I drop the book from my surprise, and my eyes dart around, scanning for a threat. But no one's there. I laugh. A humerless laugh. This is a joke. Someone is just messing with me. There is no one there. _But someone turned on the lights._ I shake my head. Nothing is here.

I pick up the book, and look at the written title on it again. _Baby Memories. _I remember this book. It was my mom's. I always saw the book at the top of the shelf, but she never allowed me to read it. I smile sadly at remembering her, but then again, compose myself. I open the book.

There's pictures. Of my mother, carefree, and her auburn hair swaying around her face. Her green eyes, that I only remember as sad, or angry, are happy. She's in someone's arms. It's a man, tall, and he seems to be smiling a little too. His eyes are gold, like mine, and his hair is jet black, also like mine.

It looks like how my mother described my father. She had said he was not able to see her very often, but had visited her when he could. She said he had never seen me, that he didn't know of me. She said she didn't want him to know of me, because she didn't know what he would do, but probably take me away. So she enver told him.

Looking at the picture, a pain deep in my chest, one that I buried for so long, begins to burn again. I feel my eyes moisten, but I blink back the tears, and compose myself, _again_. I will not cry, never. I am not allowed. I can't. I flip through the pages, looking at other pictures of my mother, and my father. She seems so happy.

A feeling of anger fills me. My mother had never looked so happy in her life. He had left her. My mother said he had to go. Seeing the look in her eyes whenever she would say that made me realize that he had left her. _Dumped her_. Why? He looks happy too.

I put the book down, and sigh. I look around the room again, taking everything else that's in it. An empty picture frame, and the door. I walk to the door again. I try to open it, and it opens with a creak. I peak out, and I figure outside is a cave. It's dark, and damp. I step out and close the door. I hear a rumbling sound, and turn to go back in, but it's gone. Nothing's there.

"Okay," I mutter. "Not weird. Not weird at all."

I turn around again, and I'm face to face with a woman. Her eyes are closed, and she seems to be sleeping. She stands there, for a minute. Another. I clear my throat. She smiles, but her eyes remain closed.

She pulls the hood back of her cloak, that seems to be earthy brown. Her hair is braided back, also brown, but a nice brown. A warm brown. She actually looks like an angel. But something tells me she is _not _angelic. I can sense the power radiating off her. She opens her mouth to speak.

"It's time for you to come back, Katherine Agathe Anderson. Let's see what the gods will have to say about this. Daughter of the dreaded time lord, sister of the Big Three. Let them fight among themselves." I look at her, and look down at my hands. I'm partly transparent, and shut my eyes tight, realizing that I am not, infact, in a never-ending dream, but, I am dead. _Dead_. I go numb, whatever part of me I _can _feel. I look back at the woman standing in front of me.

Realization hits me like a slap in the face. I step back. "Gaia." My voice is a whisper, barely echoing among the walls of the cave.

"Come on, Katherine. Come back to the realm of the living," she invites me, holding out her hand. "Let your brother see you again, see you walk the earth. Let your brother see that you've escaped Hell, that killing you has done nothing. Let your brother feel what he put you through."

I feel something build up inside of me. I remember it all now. I saved them. I saved his sorry little ass. I fought my grandfather myself, and I saved Zeus's throne, and all I can remember is the burning, electrifying sensation of being hit my lightning. I can feel the grudge building up. I can feel the urge to get my revenge on him. I look back at Gaia's hand. Suddenly, it seems like the best idea in the world. To take revenge against Zeus and make him pay for throwing me here, after all I did for him. Suddenly taking Gaia's had seems like the best option right now. So I do the sensible thing.

I take it.


	2. I Run From My Grandmother

I try not to gape as I step out of DOA Recording Studios, into the bright lights of Los Angeles. Gaia turns to me, and I can see a smile pulling at her lips as she seems to watching my reaction, but I vaguely wonder if she can see me. She looks back at the city. It's night time, but it's still too bright for my eyes right now, just coming out of the Underworld.

"Terrible, isn't it? Look at what mortals have done to me," she begins to complain. "They have torn down all my trees, and destroyed all the natural beauty of the wild, and build things like _this_!" This time it's me that holds back a smirk. I can feel my personality coming back to me, my body. "Well, I can complain later. Right now, we need to get you clothes." She looks at what I'm wearing.

I look down, and find I'm still wearing my armour. It still looks brand new, jet black with gold arm and leg protectors. My scythe hangs by my side, and underneath I wear shorts and a short sleeved shirt. My sneakers are torn up, and I can see scars from the battle before my death. I'm covered in dry blood and dirt.

I look back up at Gaia. "Good idea." I say.

She teleports us to what I guessed a hotel room. I march straight for the bathroom, dead set on taking a shower. I reak of blood, sweat, and dirt. Something that even _I_ found repulsive. I jumped in and took the longest shower ever, scrubbing every part of my body. Getting out, I grab a towel, wrap it around me, and step out of the bathroom.

Gaia set out some clothes on one of the two beds. I take them and get dressed, and notice Gaia is gone. My only hope is that she is out getting something to eat, because I am _starving_. Despite me just coming back from the dead, I know exactly the year and day, thank you very much dad. It's June 21. The Summer Solstice. 2011. I've been dead for thirty years. _Thirty damn years_. I back up and lean against the wall, sinking to sit down.

I count the years again, but it's no use. I have been gone, out of the world, for three decades. I close my eyes, and take a deep breath. I vaguely wonder if Hannah is still alive, my very best friend, along with Alice. They would be like, fifty now. I have to find out.

I start to form a plan to escape. I am not going to join Gaia, even though my bastard of a brother deserves to be overthrown and thrown into Hell himself. Even though I hate his guts, and really want to kick his ass. But I push my grudge down, because it will only get in my way.

Gaia is gone right now. It's the perfect time to escape. But I have no where to go. _Camp Halfblood_, a voice in my head suggests. My brother would surely take me in. And feed me. And I wouldn't have to destroy the world for him. I look towards the window, considering my escape options. I will not take the elevator, because Gaia could be coming up now.

I walk towards the window and look out. I'm not that high up, and I can jump and slow down the fall. I open the window just as Gaia steps in the door. I spin around and look at her. Her head is turned toward me, frowning.

"I was just a little too warm," I lie smoothly, desperatly trying to cover myself up. She nods, and seems convinced, but she could be pretending. So I act cautious anyways. I look down at what she brought back, and it's pizza. So Mother Earth eats pizza. _Okay..._

But it turns out she doesn't. Because while I eat the pizza, she explains to me all the stuff I missed out on. Apparently my father tried to come back. Through corruption. My mind drifts to what I learned about the Egyptian gods. Didn't they use possession? I tune into what Gaia is saying again.

She says that she's waking, but only a very small part of her essence is here. So it would be easier to escape. She says she's stirring, but is waking quickly. I nod, and pretend to be interested in what she is saying, but I am formulating a plan in me head to get away.

"Can I go to the store?" I ask her. She closes her mouth.

"Well, I guess you need some more clothes, and I can explain this to you later. Come on, I'll bring you." I inwardly curse, I can't escape if she's there.

"But I'm going to take a long time probably. I'm very picky with what I wear. And besides, I, um, need some time to myself. To think things over." It takes a bit more convincing, but she reluctantly gives in eventually.

When I get out of the hotel, I take out the bank card she gave me (_cha-ching!_), and go to get a cab. I want to get as far away from here as possible. The cab driver takes me to Las Vegas (after a bit of convincing and price offering) and I get out and look around. I am exhausted, and it's morning.

I go to look for a hotel or something, and find the place is packed with places to stay. I walk around a little, getting sleepier by the minute, and pass by a hotel called the Lotus Hotel Casino. The name sounds familiar, and I remember one of my friends telling me to stay away. I shrug and continue walking.

I stay at some other not very fancy motel, somewhere cheap, I don't know how much money is on the card. The next thing I do is get out as much money as I can at a bank machine, so incase Gaia cancels it or something. I know she'll find me though. Eventually. So when I wake up after sleeping for five hours, I get on the move again. I don't want to stay in one place too long.

I consider taking a plane to New York, but decide against it, because I don't want to go up in my brother's domain. Whether he knows I'm alive or not, I am staying on the ground. _But ground means Gaia_. I hear that voice in my head again. I curse. Whoever said it (I think I'm going crazy), is right.

I take another cab to Denver anyways, and hope that I am not running out of money. It takes hours, and I am getting frustrated with how long it's taking to get to the camp's safety. The fact that I haven't seen Gaia is making me paranoid. I know I'm going to end up running into her at some point.

After arguing with myself (in my head of course) multiple times, I decide to take the risk of taking a plane to Manhattan, because I would rather Zeus than Gaia any day of the week. But every jolt of turbulance had me wondering if I was going to die.

Eventually the plane lands, and I jump straight on a cab to camp. Just when I am getting out, the cab driver turns to me, and I realize her eyes are closed.

"Are you sure you're making the right decision?" she asks. Instead of answering I bolt up the hill and step over the camp borders. I look down, and see it is so much different from when I last saw it. They have a better sword arena, before it was just wood walls. And the cabins look new.

I walk down the hill, straight to the Big House. I see if my brother Chiron is still alive. I look around, watching the stares of the demigods. I smile sweetly at them, and try to look nice. I step up the steps of the front porch (another addition) and open the door.


	3. Hello, Daddy

I step inside the Big House, carefully collecting myself to look better than I actually feel. But all that was wasted when I came face to face with Hannah. The same Hannah from thirty years ago. She stares at me, and I watch numerous emotions cross her face, her eyes getting wider and wider. The color drains from her face. And then she recovers, grinning frim ear to ear.

"So he was right! I knew it!" she cries out happily, crushing me in a bear hug. It takes me a few seconds to recover myself, to register the fact that Hannah is alive, and well, hasn't aged. Then I notice her outfit. Silver camo. She has a bow and quiver full of arrows slung over her shoulder. "Katie."

"You're a hunter," I say, in disbelief.

"Yeah, I needed to find somewhere to go, so I decided to join the hunters of Artemis," she says. I nod slowly.

"I thought you never wanted to become one," I say, remembering all the times when I cursed at the hunters, when _we _cursed at the hunters.

"Well, that changed," she tells me. "Oh my, so much has changed. But, one question, how did you get back?" she asks, confused. I search for the right words, not knowing what to say. I don't know if I should tell her it was Gaia, because then I have to tell her why, and then I'm going to have to think about it again. I'm scared I might actually turn.

"Long story," I say, giving her a look that meant, _don't ask_. She gets the message, and drops it.

I look past her and see my brother Chiron in deep conversation with two men. They both look young, but you never know with immortals. One has short brown hair, and his eyes look like they're mini suns. Hyperion, I assume, from what I've heard. The other one looks like the man in the photo I saw, and I realize that he is. Kronos.

I don't realize I said his name out loud until he turns around to face me. His face morphs into one of confusion, when I assume he realizes that, well, I kind of look like him. I stare back, until he opens his mouth to speak.

"You're Katarina, I assume." He says, in a steely calm voice.

"Kate," I correct him, I hate my name being said in any other way, besides Katie, by Hannah. He cocks an eyebrow, then turns back to Chiron and Hyperion. He says something else, that I don't hear, and then turns back to me, and walks to me, grabs my arm, and half drags me out of the room.

"Do you mind?" I ask, irritated. His lips twitch.

"I didn't know I had a mortal child," he says, studying me. "Sadly, you don't actually look like you can do anything." I feel my temperature drop, as it does when I'm extremely angry. The grass at my feet begins to frost. He notices this, and he actually smirks.

"So Chiron _was _right. You are actually a lot like me," my father (I suppose) says. "_But, _obviously your looks are decieving. Because, unless you had extremely good luck, which I highly doubt, you beat my father in one on one combat. And he was no easy feat either.

"Come to Othrys. Train with me. That's what Rhea recommends all the immortals do with their children. They need to learn to trust each other. Why? I can't tell you right now. Who knows who else is listening. But I need you to trust me." I consider this. I could go and train with him. I can be with my father. Then when I really think about it, I don't really think I have a choice. I don't see him being fine with a no. So I nod glumly.

He opens his mouth to say something else, but Hyperion interrupts him. "We have to round the demigods up for Capture the Flag," Hyperion's face sours. Kronos nods and they leave to get everything set up.

"Are you playing, Katie?" Hannah asks me.

"Sure," I shrug.

An hour later I had new armour (thanks dad) on and my scythe in my hand. I wait for them to say go, to let us go for the other team's flag. I'm on offense, which is nice. I can easily swing in and grab the flag. Chiron blows the horn, and campers set off running. I wait a few minutes before setting off into the woods with Hannah.

"So, do you know where they hid the flag?" she whispers to me.

"Um, no, but we can look," I say, and stop short.

Because right in front of me is no doubt, a very angry Gaia. But she's half transparent, like I was as a ghost. I can feel her angry aura. She speaks in a deadly, calm voice.

"Don't be scared, Katherine," she mocks me. "I am not really here. But do you really think I am dumb? Remember what I told you. Do not choose incorrectly. Do not choose the side that wants to kill you. Remember that. And if I see you again, and should you choose not to fight with me, I will kill you," she spits out and disappears.

I look over at Hannah. She's looking at me with panicked eyes. I sigh.

"Come on, let's get the flag," I mumble and set off. She follows, silently.

I crouch down when I hear demigods not too far away. I peer over a bush, and see the flag guarded by two demigods. One has blond hair and blue eyes, with a bow and arrow. A child of Apollo. And the other one has black hair and green eyes. He must be Percy. I have the sudden urge to go up and fight him now. So I look at Hannah, silently count to three, and jump out and go after Percy.

Hannah goes after the son of Apollo, knocking his bow out of his hand, forcing him to fight with a sword. I fight Percy. He's actually pretty good, we take nasty swings at each other. But one moment of loss of balance was all I needed to knock him out with the handle of my scythe. I look at Hannah, she has the son of Apollo on the ground, her sword at his neck.

We grab the flag and run as fast as we can. The boy calls for help, and we know it's not too long before reinforcements will come, so we book it. I get a few arrows shot at me, and one gets me in the shoulder, but I ignore it and we sprint across the boundary line.

We won the game. Our team congratulates us, but all I can think about is Gaia. I can't leave the camp now. She'll kill me.

_Another immortal enemy. Great._


End file.
